Database: One Step Forward...

Williamsburg//British America//1769-05-17

Despite his opposition to the 1765 Stamp Act, George Washington did not take a leading role in the resistance movement against British measures in the colonies. His widespread opposition to the 1767 Townshend Acts was laid out in terms of his rights as a British citizen and did not represent a call for American independence.

However, in 1769, Washington introduced a resolution to the Virginian House of Burgesses calling for Virginia to boycott the importation of British goods until the Acts were repealed. Although his resolutions were not successful, his formal public stance against British policies propelled him as a prominent member of the growing colonial resistance movement. Slowly but surely, George Washington aligned himself with the colonial representatives working for American independence.